EDI in clinical research: The case for adaptive strategies at every step

The topic of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in health and care research participation has been gaining traction in the past few years. As we continue to discuss and tackle the problem of underrepresentation in clinical trials, we are also expanding our scope of involvement and inclusivity. The conversations are becoming broader: from ethnicity to socioeconomic status to gender identity and disability.

However, while the importance of EDI is well known, achieving this goal has proved more challenging. Such a multifaceted subject demands a similarly nuanced solution – in short, there is no blanket approach to ensuring that the benefits of research are accessible to all members of the UK population. Instead, EDI needs different solutions at different stages of research.

In this interactive webinar, brought to you by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), we delve beneath the surface of EDI in research to unpick common challenges in offering equal participation opportunities in the UK.

Join us on 30th January 2024 at 16:30 GMT / 17:30 CET / 11:30 EST as panel members discuss how involving people with lived experience of a condition in all stages of the research journey can help identify EDI challenges early. Plus, examples of good practice and solutions to EDI challenges.

Register now to secure your place and become part of the conversation driving a more representative clinical research landscape, one inclusive and accessible study at a time.

About the panel

Barbara Molony-Oates

Barbara is a public involvement manager at the Health Research Authority. She has led the development of the Shared Commitment to Public Involvement in health and care research with the HRA and NIHR. This is a growing partnership of 21 leading organisations who are working together promote, support and improve public involvement in health and social care research.

Barbara holds a master’s degree in physics from Royal Holloway University of London, a PgCe in secondary mathematics and a PgDip in Therapeutic Radiotherapy. She has worked in clinical research delivery and is passionate about supporting researchers to involve patients and carers with lived experience in all parts of their research from inception to dissemination.

Rosamund Round

Roz leads Parexel’s Patient Engagement team, dedicated to improving patient access to and experiences in clinical trials. This includes Patient Insights, Patient Inclusion, Patient Advocacy Group partnerships, Patient Engagement, plus Parexel’s Patient Community and Patient Advisory Council. 

Roz previously led the build and deployment of Parexel’s decentralized clinical trials (DCT) service, supporting patient participation in trials outside of the hospital to help improve health equity in clinical research.

Roz has a master’s degree in health psychology and is a graduate of the University of Oxford Strategic Management Executive Programme. In addition, she is qualified in Lean Six Sigma and change management, has a professional diploma in marketing, and studied psychology and immunology at Harvard University. Roz regularly presents at conferences and publishes articles as an expert in patient engagement.

Sarah Fallon

As part of her role as Chief Operating Officer at NIHR Clinical Research Network, Greater Manchester she develops and implements regional research strategy in-line with NIHR and national strategy and policy. She is an experienced Life Sciences Industry Delivery Lead within the Clinical Research Network, partnering with NHS organisations, research teams and commercial companies to develop research opportunities and improve delivery across study sites in Greater Manchester.

After spending over seven years working within the National Institute for Health Research supporting study set up and recruitment at sites, she knows what is needed to make research deliver. She has worked with a range of different care providers across the NHS, successfully facilitating a large number of complex and innovative research studies. She has previously worked in research governance and continues to support the national ICH Good Clinical Practice and research training programmes in England, and works on national working groups, to innovate national study support.

Trishna Bharadia

Trishna Bharadia is a multi-award winning patient advocate and patient engagement consultant. She works nationally and internationally with various stakeholders, including pharma, CROs, health tech, medical publishers, academia and charities/non-profits to better embed the patient voice into the medicines development lifecycle, health research and the healthcare ecosystem.

She is a visiting lecturer on patient engagement at King’s College London’s Centre for Pharmaceutical Medicine Research and is an Ambassador/Patron for several health- and disability-related charities. Her main areas of interest lie in good patient engagement practice, diversity/inclusion/equity in healthcare and research, and patient involvement in health information and scientific publications. Among her many accolades, she is an honorary member of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (Royal College of Physicians) and is a PharmaVoice100 honoree, both in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the life sciences industry, and she has a Points of Light award from the UK Prime Minister’s Office for her work with patient communities.

Eloise McLennan, Deep Dive editor (moderator)

Eloise McLennan is the editor for pharmaphorum’s Deep Dive magazine. She has been a journalist and editor in the healthcare field for more than five years and has worked at several leading publications in the UK.